Bergen Community College Launches Aviation Program

Buehler Endowment Fosters Partnership with Vaughn College to Provide Bergen Community College Students with a Pathway to Bachelor of Science Degrees in Aeronics, Avionics and Airport Management

The Emil Buehler Trust has awarded the Bergen Community College Foundation a $2 million grant for the development of an aviation degree track. One million dollars will be applied toward the equipment for the Bergen Community College’s new Science Laboratory wing in Paramus.

The remaining portion of the grant will be applied toward the addition of instrumentation of an aeronics laboratory and flight simulators to help prepare students for careers in aviation, avionics and airport management.

Construction on the science wing at Bergen Community College broke ground in May 2008 with funding from the County of Bergen, which has invested $15 million to support the development of innovative science facilities at the College.

The grant has also been instrumental in generating a 2 + 2 degree program with Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology in Flushing, NY.

Under the grant, Bergen Community College enters into an official partnership to provide a transfer program to Vaughn College. Through the program, students who earn an Associate’s Degree at Bergen Community College can transfer to Vaughn College and pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in aeronics, avionics and airport management. Another partner, Cessna Aircraft, in Newburgh, NY, is providing internship and career opportunities to Bergen students.

“This endowment from the Buehler Trust is an historic moment for the Bergen Community College Foundation and the College, blazing a pathway to career opportunities for County students in the aviation industry,” said Dr. G. Jeremiah Ryan, president of Bergen Community College. “Through this grant, Bergen Community College has been entrusted with continuing Emil Buehler’s legacy of flight innovation and education.”

Bergen Community College has a longstanding relationship with the Emil Buehler Trust. The trust is named after Emil Buehler, an aviation visionary, architect and engineer, who emigrated to the U.S. from Germany after a career as a World War I fighter pilot. Buehler operated his own school of aeronautics at New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport, ran a seaplane base on the Hudson River, built airports and skyscrapers, and advanced the science of aviation, including the early years of NASA’s shuttle program before his death in 1983 at the age of 84.

The grant allows Bergen Community College to expand the selection of science courses it offers, while providing a more technologically advanced learning environment for its growing student enrollment. Since 1985, the Emil Buehler Trust has donated nearly $400,000 in grants to Bergen Community College, which helped establish the Emil Buehler Trust Observatory.

“As one of the Trustees of the Emil Buehler Trust, I am very proud to convey the $2 million grant for the development of an educational and flight training program at Bergen Community College,” said Robert D. Boyle, President of Boyle & Company, PA, based in Hackensack, and Trustee of The Emil Buehler Trust.

“A key outcome of this grant is the partnership between Bergen Community College and Vaughn College, one of the best aviation schools and top tier baccalaureate colleges in the country,” said Dr. Ryan.

"Vaughn College is thrilled to work with Bergen Community College, with the generous support of the Emil Buehler Trust,” said Dr. John C. Fitzpatrick, President of Vaughn College. “This support provides the resources that our two institutions need to launch what we anticipate to be a long and fulfilling relationship for the students of northern New Jersey."

The partnership with Vaughn College will provide Bergen Community College’s students with a more comprehensive educational curriculum along with a seamless transition into a four-year degree program and greater career opportunities. With the enhancement of Bergen’s science laboratories and the acquisition of the state-of-the-art equipment, including simulation equipment, a wind tunnel and modeling software, Bergen’s faculty will be able to prepare its students for future careers in aviation and help them transition into Vaughn College’s bachelor of science degree programs.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a growing and sustainable need for airport and airline management, flight engineers, aircraft and avionics maintenance management, mechatronic engineers and electronic engineers. This increase puts Bergen and its partner airports – MacArthur, Stewart and Teterboro – in the hub of central aviation activity. Since 2003, the percentage of Bergen Community College students enrolled in the fields of aviation and avionics has increased:

“The Emil Buehler Trust serves on the cutting edge of innovation by committing its resources to a number of leading educational institutions,” said Robert Dill, Chairperson of the Bergen Community College Foundation. “The Foundation is extremely appreciative of the Emil Buehler Trust for providing Bergen Community College with such a generous grant. They serve as the College’s largest collective donor.”

About the Emil Buehler Trust
The Emil Buehler Trust was established in 1984 to perpetuate the memory of Emil Buehler and his commitment to aviation science and technology. Buehler’s aviation activities stretched from Bergen County’s Teterboro Airport to South Florida, where he supervised the construction of an aviation facility at the Executive Airport in Ft. Lauderdale. Buehler’s architectural credits include the Daily News Building in Manhattan and the Washington D.C. Greyhound Bus Terminal.

To Buehler, the majesty and mystery of flight was more than a private interest. It was a vision to be shared - during his lifetime and beyond. It is this same vision that is perpetuated today through the continuing philanthropic involvement of the Buehler Trust. From 1985 to date, the Emil Buehler Trust has given more than $30 million to various charitable entities in the fields of aviation, science and technology. The Emil Buehler Trust has also funded the Emil Buehler Challenger and Science Center and the Emil Buehler Trust Observatory, located on Bergen Community College’s campus in Paramus, giving the public the opportunity to explore the wonders of space and astronomy in Bergen County.

About Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology
Founded in 1932 and located in Flushing, New York, Vaughn College has set the standard for excellence and leadership in the fields of engineering, technology, management and aviation with master's, bachelor's and associate's degrees. Vaughn was recently ranked in the top tier of baccalaureate colleges in the north as well as one of the most racially and economically diverse colleges in the region in the US News 2009 edition of America's Best Colleges. Based on a strategic plan for the institution, the College recently added a new residence hall and is making significant improvements in the academic experience for each student with state-of-the-art laboratory equipment, and new teaching and learning strategies that support students as they pursue a degree. For more information about Vaughn, visit www.vaughn.edu.

About Cessna Aircraft Company
Founded in 1927, Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Company, is headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Cessna is the leading designer and manufacturer of light and midsize business jets, utility turboprops and single engine craft, having sold and delivered more aircraft than anyone else in history - 190,000 and counting. Through Textron, Cessna leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, and intelligence, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known throughout the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Textron Systems and Textron Financial Corporation.

About the Bergen Community College Foundation
The Bergen Community College Foundation raises funds to support student scholarships, faculty and staff development, construction and other special projects and programs at the College. Since its 1982 inception, the Foundation has received over $12 million in total contributions.

About Bergen Community College
Bergen Community College, based in Paramus, NJ, is a public two-year coeducational college, enrolling more than 15,000 students in Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and Associate in Applied Science degree programs and certificate programs. The College serves students at locations in Paramus, Hackensack and the Meadowlands. More than 10,000 students are enrolled in non-credit, professional courses through the Division of Continuing Education, the Institute for Learning in Retirement and the Philip J. Ciarco Jr. Learning Center, located at 355 Main Street, Hackensack. Information about the College is available at www.bergen.edu.